Croatian First League Foreign Referees Already Next Season?
April 7, 2022 - Could Croatian First League foreign referees take the pitch already next season? A closer look.
The idea of foreign referees in the Croatian First League (HNL) is gaining more attention. Head of the Croatian Refereeing Commission Bruno Marić confirmed in Croatian media earlier this week that foreign referees in Croatia could become a reality as early as next season.
"This is still not a topic we want to publish in detail. At HNS, we are working together to conclude business cooperation with some of the foreign federations, which would include the exchange of refs," Marić told Slobodna Dalmacija.
And this wouldn't put any Croatian referees out of work, but rather exchange them.
"It would be exclusively about an exchange, and not about foreign refs coming to ref in our country," Marić underlined.
Marić was a guest on the same topic on Dnevnik Nova TV, where he emphasized that the idea could be realized as early as next season, because in the current season it is technically impossible.
"We will look for countries with a similar profile. I would not like to speculate now on which refs are in question," Marić told Dnevnik Nova TV.
As Ivan Forjan has learned for Gol.hr, very serious names in the reffing world are among the options.
Namely, Gol.hr reports that the first picks would definitely be Slovenian judges. Among them is one of UEFA's elite category refs, Slavko Vinčić. Romanian Ovidiu Hategan, also of elite UEFA status, is too in the spotlight. Along with them, referees from Austria, Hungary, and Israel would also be an option.
A little over two weeks ago, Osijek coach Nenad Bjelica made his point clear about this topic.
"Exchanging referees with other countries would also be good because you are taking the pressure off your domestic referees and why not bring quality refs from the countries around us?" Bjelica wondered.
Rijeka also liked this idea:
"The refereeing commission is an independent body and has full confidence in its work. If the refereeing commission evaluates and decides on some changes, as well as the introduction of foreign referees for certain matches, HNK Rijeka will support it. The most important thing is that and at a high level."
Dinamo, on the other hand, is quite restrained:
"GNK Dinamo welcomes all efforts aimed at the development of Croatian football, and in relation to the specific inquiry, we express our belief that the HNS and the referee commission will know how to make the best decisions."
Gol.hr did not reach Hajduk's position on this idea yet, though a few years ago, they expressed the desire for foreign refs in the HNL.
Engagements of foreign referees in other European leagues are not uncommon. For example, Ivan Bebek last year refereed the big Greek derby between Olympiacos and Panathinaikos.
Interestingly, a foreign ref would cost as much as a domestic one - or 2,800 kuna per match, with, of course, the addition of travel expenses.
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520,000 Cruise Ship Passengers in Dubrovnik Expected this Season
April 7, 2022 - Blaž Pezo of the Dubrovnik Port Authority announced 345 ship arrivals and about 520,000 cruise ship passengers in Dubrovnik this season.
When measures were relaxed in mid-May 2021, the conditions for restarting cruising tourism in the destination were finally met, taking into account the reduced covid-capacity of 60 percent of passengers. The Dubrovnik Port Authority was happy to welcome the tourism market, and as the season progressed, many cruisers came. In the end, the director of the Dubrovnik Port Authority Blaž Pezo said they ended 2021 with traffic above expectations, reports DuList.
Last year, he stressed, a solid cruise season was achieved in which they were visited by 139 ships and 110,130 passengers. Given that there were none in 2020, Pezo said that the Port Authority is satisfied with the 2021 result, which is 30 percent of 2019 and is a good base for this season which they expect 70 percent of 2019.
"We are optimistic about the 2022 season. According to current announcements, in 2022, we expect 345 ship arrivals and about 520 thousand passengers, which is fully in line with the plans for sustainable tourism development in the destination. The maximum number of passengers from cruise ships in Dubrovnik throughout 2022 is 4,000 passengers at a time or an average of two ships at berth. The Dubrovnik Port Authority is actively participating in the City of Dubrovnik project ‘Respect the City’, in which we strive to ensure the sustainability of Dubrovnik tourism. As part of the project activities, the Ordinance on conditions and criteria for accepting and allocating berths for cruise ships in sustainable destination development was developed. As a result, an even better schedule of cruise ship arrivals in Dubrovnik was achieved, which will result in a more even flow of passengers from the port, mostly towards the historic core, and thus reduce the intensity of the load on city roads in the direction Gruž - Pile - Gruž," said Blaž Pezo for Dulist.
How does the situation with Ukraine reflect on the announcements for the cruising season, and are specific markets disrupted?
"In recent days, information has appeared in the public that the war in Ukraine has begun to affect cruising tourism. Some cruisers have canceled their visit to Dubrovnik, but the situation is not dramatic. So far, we have only two cancellations due to operational reasons and several changes in the entry schedule into Dubrovnik due to the relaxation of measures in Italy. I would not say that the situation is alarming, but we monitor the situation together. In the announcement for this year, which should be very good after the coronavirus pandemic, we have 345 ships.
Of course, there is a possibility some will cancel, but we hope that will not happen. It is unknown how many passengers the cruisers could bring to Dubrovnik, as the number is changing, but they are currently between 60 and 70 percent full. Given the much more favorable situation with the coronavirus pandemic, we expect that European and American shipping companies will gradually increase their cruiser capacity this season. With the improving situation, the greatest demand, i.e., the most serious number of tickets and passengers on cruises, is expected from the major tourist markets from Great Britain and the USA, Germany, France, Italy, and Spain," concluded Blaž Pezo.
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International Children's Festival in Šibenik Returns from June 18 to July 2
April 7, 2022 - The International Children's Festival in Šibenik, held for the 62nd time, takes place from June 18 to July 2, 2022.
This is the oldest festival dedicated to creativity for children, but also to children's creativity in Europe and the world. The festival has the full support of UNICEF and UNESCO and the constant patronage of the President of the Republic of Croatia.
With a tradition of more than sixty years, this manifestation is a trademark of the city of Šibenik and enjoys the status of national importance. The uniqueness of this event is the focus on children not only as spectators and participants but also as active creators; therefore, the importance of holding this festival is necessary. Furthermore, diverse festival offerings make it suitable for various ages, and all generations can enjoy it. The festival's official program consists of carefully selected theater performances with a rich film, literary, musical, artistic, environmental, sports, and workshop program at more than 20 locations in the old town. The festival is also a member of the art organizations ASSITEJ and UNIMA.
As a central manifestation of children's creativity, for more than six decades, the International Children's Festival in Šibenik aims to present cultural works from around the world and immediately promote intercultural dialogue and positivity through creative action values. The goal of MDF is to nurture performances that question many contemporary themes that communicate with today's times in a way that is close and interesting to children and offers the most diverse theatrical and performance forms.
The purpose of the MDF is to ensure the presentation of artistic achievements for children and youth through international cultural cooperation, which contributes to the improvement of aesthetic and ethical education of children and youth and the development of all forms of children's creativity and activities. Culture and art are important aspects of youth integration into society. They can significantly contribute to the personal development of young people, their better inclusion in the community, and the prevention of antisocial behavior, which contributes to building a holistic, self-aware, confident, and socially aware person.
You can learn more HERE.
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Norwegian Instructors Training Croatian Firefighters in Rescuing Car Crash Victims
ZAGREB, 6 April 2022 - Norwegian instructors are training Croatian firefighters in the southern coastal town of Kaštel Sućurac in techniques for extracting people from vehicles involved in traffic accidents, the Croatian Fire Service said on Wednesday.
The training is taking place as part of an international project aimed at increasing firefighters' preparedness and raising awareness of road safety. The theoretical part of the training began on Monday.
Fire chief Slavko Tucaković expressed his satisfaction with the training course and the exchange of experience and knowledge.
Instructor Fredrik Høe said that they were showing the Croatian firefighters the methods they used in Norway in removing casualties from vehicles after a crash, using chains. He noted that the number of road accidents in Croatia was as much as four times higher than in Norway.
The training is being conducted in cooperation with the International Association of Fire and Rescue Services (CTIF).
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Minister Says Wife's Employment in Line With Law
ZAGREB, 6 April 2022 - Physical Planning, Construction and State Assets Minister Ivan Paladina said on Wednesday that his wife's employment was in line with the law, that he did not see anything controversial about her salary, and being registered as receiving minimum wage was not a tax cheat.
"My wife was employed and registered in line with the law, as many other employees in private firms. I don't see anything contentious about that," Paladina said in Sisak.
"I have paid extremely high taxes and contributions for a large part of my career and I did not complain about it because it was in line with the law. It is all right to pay taxes in line with the law," said the minister.
Asked how he had acquired a number of land plots in Slavonia, Paladina said that it was a larger number of plots that had not been bought from the IGH construction company but were taken over based on claims from IGH bonds which he had acquired on the market and via a public auction.
"None of it is of Russian origin, everything is of Croatian origin. Everything I declared in my declaration of assets is a result of my work as a manager, my ventures as an entrepreneur and investments over the past 15 years or more," he said, adding that he had never held a public office before and had worked in the private sector and in line with market conditions.
Asked about his stake in the Kupari Luxury Hotels, Paladina said that it was not about a procedure to transfer stakes but a procedure to exit the company.
"I initiated that procedure two years ago and a court case is underway. It has not been completed and I cannot influence the dynamic of the proceedings, it's not correct to compare it with the transfer of business stakes," he stressed, adding that he did not sell his stake because there had been no buyers before just as there were none now.
Asked about the value of his declared assets, Paladina declined comment.
"A certain portion of the amount is an estimate. The amounts I declared are visible. I have worked and made money my whole life, you can see from my loans that I also risked a lot, it turned out that I worked and invested well," said Paladina.
For more, check out our dedicated politics section.
Plenković: A11 Motorway to Breathe New Life Into Quake-affected Sisak Area
ZAGREB, 6 April 2022 - Prime Minister Andrej Plenković visited Sisak-Moslavina County on Wednesday and met with County Prefect Ivan Celjak for talks on county and government projects concerning the post-earthquake reconstruction of the region.
He visited two building sites on the 11-km-long Lekenik-Sisak section of the A11 motorway. The value of the project is HRK 281.3 million, and the deadline for its completion is 24 months.
Plenković expressed his satisfaction with the pace of the work, saying that it would "breathe new life" into the region and help attract investment.
He said that the talks with the county leadership focused on projects aimed at removing the consequences of the December 2020 earthquakes and revitalising the region. The projects discussed included investment in education, health care, cultural, transport and social infrastructure and housing reconstruction.
Plenković said that a lot of work had already been done, in particular with regard to the health care and education infrastructure. "The reconstruction process will be further accelerated," he said.
For more, check out our dedicated politics section.
Minister Announces More Relaxed COVID Protocols, Set of Healthcare Reform Bills
ZAGREB, 6 April 2022 - Health Minister Vili Beroš said on Wednesday that the authorities were considering relaxing anti-epidemic rules this week, and also announced the first set of healthcare reform bills for the second quarter of 2022.
"There will be additional relaxation of (COVID-19) measures, possibly this week. Some of the restrictions will remain in effect in the social welfare and health sectors, because the epidemic is still here," the minister said after he formally opened a €3.5 million renovated operating block at Zagreb's Children's Hospital.
However, the minister did not specify how the COVID protocols would be further eased.
Package of reform laws for improvement of health sector
The minister announced the first package of laws for overhauling the healthcare system for the second quarter of 2022.
"The relevant laws are to be adopted by the parliament by the end of this year", he added.
"The reform does not mean a heap of papers or documents, it is a set of activities and measures, including the consolidation of public procurement, shortening of waiting lists, and overhauling the primary healthcare and hospital services", Beroš said.
Asked by the press whether he would be included in the announced government reshuffle, the minister said that "change is the only constant in life" but, in a comment on media allegations, wondered "where the truth has gone."
For more, check out our dedicated politics section.
Split Mayor: City Council to Sit Next Week; Kuzmanić, Centre Deputies to Resign
ZAGREB, 6 April 2022 - Split Mayor Ivica Puljak said that leaders of the party groups in the Split City Council decided at their meeting on Wednesday to hold a session of the City Council next week at which the councillors of his Centre party would tender their irrevocable resignations, adding that he expected the same from the HDZ councillors.
"At that session of the City Council a decision will be made to hold district elections and the proposal is that they be held on 26 June. We will propose that on the same day early elections be held for the mayor and for the City Council," Puljak told reporters.
He noted that today's meeting was not attended by the councillors from the HDZ and the HGS party of Željko Kerum, both in the opposition in the Split City Council.
Puljak said that after next week's City Council session, the councillors from his Centre party would tender their irrevocable resignations and he called on the nine HDZ councillors to resign simultaneously with the Centre deputies. That way 16 councillors would resign, which is the majority of the 31 city councillors necessary to dissolve the City Council, Puljak said.
Second deputy mayor to resign together with HDZ councillors
Puljak repeated that he and his first deputy Bojan Ivošević would resign by the end of this week to clear the way for mayoral elections.
"My (second) deputy Kuzmanić will prepare his resignation and hand it in together with the resignations of the HDZ councillors," Puljak said, adding that Kuzmanić would do so because the Centre party did not trust the HDZ.
"The HDZ has cheated us and the residents of Split, and not only them but all Croatians, a number of times. Our offer is for deputy mayor Kuzmanić to resign together with the HDZ councillors," Puljak said, noting that that would pave the way to elections for the City Council.
Asked earlier in the day about the political situation in Split and Puljak's allegations that he was interfering in the election process, PM and HDZ party leader Andrej Plenković said that he did not know "what Puljak is hallucinating about."
"I am aware that Andrej Plenković and the government will do everything to take Split again and that in that process they will not hesitate to violate the law, which is what they announced yesterday with the opinion of the Justice and Public Administration Ministry on the government commissioner for Split, contrary to legal experts' view. We are not afraid of Plenković's and the government's interference," Puljak said.
He called the HDZ councillors in Split cowards who were trying to avoid the dissolution of the City Council for fear of voters.
Puljak also said that Plenković and the government would stall for as long as possible and try to prevent early elections in Split being held on the same day as district elections and move them to the summer.
The entire country is looking at Split and the fight against the HDZ, the clientelism, the crime and the corruption, Puljak said, adding that in parliamentary elections in two years' time that fight will spread to the entire country because "citizens are fed up with what the HDZ has been doing."
Asked if he had any political ambitions at the national level, Puljak said that Split was his sole ambition.
For more, check out our dedicated politics section.
EU Funds Provide an Unprecedented Opportunity for Croatia, Conference Hears
ZAGREB, 6 April 2022 - A two-day conference called Smart Cities 2022, organised by the Lider business weekly, started in Zagreb on Wednesday, with the mayors attending it being told that they should do their best to make the most of EU funds for the strategic development of their communities.
"EU funds for the 2021-2027 period provide an unprecedented opportunity for Croatia, with minimally twice as much funds being available than in the previous period," said Ana Fresl, president of the Croatian Employers Association (HUP) association of EU fund professionals.
She said that Croatia had €13.5 billion available from the seven-year cohesion policy, and an additional €6.3 billion under the Recovery and Resilience Facility due to the pandemic.
Fresl told the mayors attending the conference that this meant twice as many opportunities as well as twice as much financing and risk on their part.
Towns cover around 3% of land area but generate more than 70% of the total emission of greenhouse gases. The Horizon Europe mission for climate neutral and smart cities has defined a goal to have at least 100 climate neutral cities by 2030.
The president of the Association of Cities, Zaprešić Mayor Željko Turk, told mayors to be bolder because they would never again have so much money at their disposal or responsibility and challenges.
He noted that many cities had made significant progress in digitalising their administration and making their accounts transparent, as well as in kindergarten enrollment and smart solutions for environmental protection.
For more, check out our dedicated politics and lifestyle sections.
Survey Shows Young People Hide Their LGBTIQ Identity in High School
ZAGREB, 6 April 2022 - LGBTIQ high school students in Croatia hide their identity and more frequently experience violence when at college, and lack system support, shows the first national survey on the experience of young LGBTIQ persons in education and the importance of support.
The survey was conducted by psychologist Marina Štambuk in cooperation with the Rainbow Families association and the Rijeka-based lesbian organisation "Lori", and it covered 373 respondents aged 15-30.
The research shows that young people on average become fully aware of their LGBTIQ identity at the age of 14, that they reveal their sexual identity more frequently to their mother than their father, and that in contact with new persons more than half hide their identity.
More than half of the respondents said that they had encountered a situation during high school in which LGBTIQ persons were mentioned in a negative context, in class or in education materials, while one in three said they had experienced such situations a number of times or frequently.
During their high school young LGBTIQ people more frequently experienced negative comments from their peers compared to university, and as many as 20% experienced verbal violence from teaching staff in high school.
As many as 77% of young LGBTIQ persons do not know who to report violence to if they experience it in high school.
Most said the best kind of support during high school would be sexual education as part of classes, which would also include LGBTIQ topics.
The research was conducted as part of a project for inclusive education, implemented by the said associations and the Norwegian organisation Norsensus Mediaforum.
Most of the respondents came from Zagreb, Rijeka, Split, Varaždin and Pula.
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